1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention concerns a steam distributor for air treatment units.
2. Description of Related Art
Distributor devices are known that receive pressurised steam from a suitable centralized system and that diffuse it directly inside air treatment units installed for example in buildings, industrial buildings, and the like, and in particular inside ventilation ducts.
A typical steam for air treatment units comprises at least one manifold, connected to a unit for producing pressurized steam, from which branch out a plurality of ducts for diffusing the steam inserted inside ventilation ducts, which diffuse the steam within the air flow. Such diffusion ducts are equipped with respective orifices through which the steam comes out, which thus mixes with the air flowing in the duct. The manifold is also equipped with an outlet for the condensation that forms inside the distributor.
As known, inside the distributor a certain amount of condensation tends to form mainly due to the fact that the temperature of the air flowing in the ventilation ducts is generally quite low, for example about 15° C., and it is in any case below the temperature of the steam inside the diffusion ducts. This fact is very unwanted, since it is an indication of low energy efficiency of the distributor: indeed, the formation of a large amount of condensation signifies that a considerable part of energy expended to produce steam is wasted, since such steam is not put into the air flow inside the duct.
In order to avoid this drawback, various means for insulating the surface of the distributor have been developed that have the purpose of reducing to the minimum the formation of condensation inside the distributor itself. As stated, such minimization of the condensation, indeed, also translates into a decrease in energy consumption of the distributor and of the steam production unit, since it is thus possible to decrease the flow rate of steam that must be injected inside the diffusion ducts.
In some known distributors, such insulation means consist for example of a ceramic coating, possibly associated with a foamed material, applied as a paint, which covers each of the steam diffusion ducts. The process for applying such a ceramic coating is, however, excessively laborious and above all too expensive: therefore, in the field there is a need to reduce the time and costs relative to such a production step of the steam distributor. Moreover, the high production cost of the thermal insulation of the surfaces of the distributor inevitably has an impact upon the final price of the product: some steam distributors only have the thermal insulation as an optional feature, which the purchaser can also decide to forego precisely due to its high cost.
In other known distributors, the insulation means of steam diffusion ducts consist of shielding elements applied to the surface of the diffusion ducts. Such elements, however, are unable to ensure effective thermal insulation, since they leave some portions of the diffusion ducts completely uncovered.